


Beautiful Strangers in Unexpected Places

by littleblue_eyedbird



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Blind Character, Blind Date, Eruanna is set up on a blind date and it does not go as planned, F/M, Flirting, Romantic Fluff, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, boom - Freeform, set in the same Universe as Love and Warfare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 06:58:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14075466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleblue_eyedbird/pseuds/littleblue_eyedbird
Summary: Eruanna is set up on a blind date and it doesn't go according to plan.





	Beautiful Strangers in Unexpected Places

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this as a gift fic for dahliadrawsthings (on tumblr) <3 She illustrated two pieces of art to accompany it <3 <3 GO CHECK HER OUT!!!! I've linked her blog below

            (lovely art drawn by [dahliadrawsthings](http://dahliadrawthings.tumblr.com/))            

* * *

 

The place was perfect, breathtaking even, with hand carved pillars that soared high to hold a vaulted ceiling filled with beautiful mosaic depictions of lovers in spring. Lush, green vines had grown in spirals around each pillar until they had reached the rafters, then wound themselves among the sparse wooden planks, letting tendrils fall back down towards the dining hall. Tall, glass windows with vines etched into their edges allowed patrons to take in the stunning lakeside view. Small gondolas could be seen taking twilight journeys across the smooth surface of the clear water as the sun dipped beneath horizon . Of all the places to go on a blind first date, this was the one to be at. 

And yet, Eruanna found herself unable to enjoy any of it, impatiently tapping a manicured fingernail against her near empty wine glass. She shifted uncomfortably, feeling the stares at her neck from the able behind and aside of her. She casually glanced over her shoulder and sent a glare in the direction of the shemlen woman looking at her with pity. She didn’t need her or any of their pity. She was wallowing in enough of her own. 

It had become evident that she had been stood up, she just hated admitting it. It taken a lot for Eruanna to agree to this, since it had been a long time since she had been on a ‘real’ date. She had been so turned off by the idea, even went as far as to call it stupid and a waste of her time, but her friends encouraged her to give it a shot--and eventually wore her down. So she went all out, putting on her fanciest outfit and accessories, even perfected her make-up. She let herself grow more and more excited until she genuinely had high hopes. She had started the night feeling fantastic about herself, but after sitting all dressed up in that little black dress and heels for over forty minutes… it had left her only embarrassed and aggravated. And the unending stares from the patrons and waiting staff just made it all worse. At least her first glass of wine was complimentary.

The occasional stare she was accustomed to, given the fact that she was blind. It never failed to amaze strangers how she was so capable of getting by on her own. She hated those occurrences almost as much as the one she found herself in now. She just didn’t have the time to explain to every single person about her Aura sight, quite frankly didn’t want to. It was a side effect of her potent lyrium addiction, a habit she had kicked a long time ago but still felt the effects of to this day--and was not a casual topic of conversation. But she tried to focus on the positive as she had enough negative to last a lifetime. The ability to see people’s auras came in handy, allowing her to detect her surroundings using magic, almost like a sonar. She could feel the vibrations other’s gave off and her mana altered the vibrations to give her sight. The color of people’s auras often gave away their intentions and made them easy to predict, a useful tool when you’re an unregistered mage living above ground in the Chantry dominated society. 

Except in the situation she found herself in, as the painfully thick and depressing blue auras of her peers were suffocating.

She also got less, innocent, looks due to the detailed tattoos that adorned her dark skin in striking white ink contrast. Her vallaslin was visible not only on her face, but her bare arms and plunging neckline, revealing it descended well past her chest. The hem of her dress was short and snug, exposing more of the vallaslin as it gracefully wrapped its way down the long length of her legs as well. It happened frequently when people were used to seeing Dalish outside their reservations. 

And she didn’t live with her clan. 

She rolled her ankle reflexively and exhaled sharply as she felt another pitiful blue-shifted gaze was cast her way as a new couple was seated on her other side. 

_ Screw this _ , she thought to herself, and tipped her glass to finish off that last bit of wine. She was about to toss the napkin she had laid across her lap onto the table in a symbol of defeat when she felt a decidedly contrasting aura approach her table. A smooth, antivan voice interrupted her thoughts. 

“Excuse me  _ bella _ , is this seat taken?”

She glanced up and froze. Before her stood a man that felt like the kind that came out of secret fantasies and dreams. His aura was warm and inviting, a lovely shade of gold that burned in way that almost shimmered. The glow illuminated the sharp features of his face, glinting eyes, and parted lips. Her gaze dropped as she studied the way his low cut shirt hugged him in all the right places, accentuating his shoulders and chest in way that made her heart flutter. In his hands were two glasses of wine, one of which he was offering her with a slight bow. His mouth twisted into a crooked smile as his eyes burned with amusement at her shock. His aura continued to spread out, shining brightly, chasing away the blue hues from the tables around her. 

She cleared her throat and recovered, “It is now.” She offered him a small smile of her own and gestured for him to take the seat.

With a nod of his own, he placed one of the drinks before her and took the place opposite her. She noted, with secret approval, how he reclined in the chair, appearing at ease despite the looks he was getting for waltzing over dressed in such revealing ensemble.

“Tell me, what is a lovely woman such as yourself doing alone on a fine night such as as this?” the stranger asked in his lilting accent, taking a sip of his drink.

She made a hum of displeased amusement and picked up her own glass, “It’s not that exciting of a story.”

“I find that hard to believe. Beautiful women hardly have boring stories.”

_ Very charming _ , she thought as she hid her widening smile behind her drink. 

“I’m on--well  _ was _ on--a blind date,” she said, swirling the wine in her glass, “you wouldn’t happen to be my  _ fashionably late _ date, would you?” 

“Alas, I am not. But damn the fool who let someone like you slip away,” he said, “I guess it is truly my lucky night.”

She blushed. She couldn’t pinpoint why she found him so charming, aside from how attractive he was. It was more than just the looks her Sight gave her. His charm paired with his aura was intriguing, and easy going. Never before had she been this comfortable around a stranger. 

“I guess it’s mine too, you swooped in and saved me from what could have been a potentially disastrous night of drinking alone. I hate dating.”

He chuckled, and the sound caused a pleasant warmth to spread through her body, making her toes curl so slightly. “If you hate it so much, why agree to a blind date? They are clearly the worst kind.”

“When a friend promises you a night you won’t forget, it’s hard to say no,” she said, silently cursing Leliana for setting it up, “I guess this whole ordeal just proved it’s not meant to work out for me. Romance is overrated.” She took a long sip from her glass. 

He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Give me the chance, and I’ll give prove you wrong,” he said with wink.

Heat blossomed within her, spreading up her spine and to her face at his words.  She shook her head and laughed softly,, a few strands of hair falling forward as she did. She met his smoldering gaze before replying, “I don’t even know your name.”

That coy smile that seemed to light up his entire face in a light warm glow broke out as he leaned forward across the small table between them and beckoned her to do the same with a slender finger. How he made the entire gesture as sexy as he did was beyond her comprehension in this moment. She tucked a strand of her long black hair behind her ear, mindful of her earings, and obliged him. Their noses nearly brushed, and their lips were but a breath away.

“My name is Zevran, and it is a pleasure to be in your company tonight.” The cadence of his words made her face burn even more than it already was. A soft gasp made its way out of her when his hand slipped under hers as he pulled away. He raised it to his lips and with the gentlest of touches, placed a feather light kiss upon it. “To a night spent in exquisite company and never ending wine,” he toasted, raising his glass in his free hand.

“To beautiful strangers appearing at unexpected times,” she added, raising her own. The smile he gave her would have made her go weak in the knees had she been standing.

She settled back into her chair, the skin on her hand still burning from where he had marked her with his lips.

“So Zevran,” she tried out his name on her tongue, slowly dragging it out to feel all its consonants and decided she liked the way it felt in her mouth, “what’s a man like you doing at place like his alone on a Saturday night?” 

His eyes lit up as she licked her bottom lip, “Enjoying new found freedom.” 

She had to take a steadying breath for he if continued to smile at her in that way, she wouldn’t be going home alone

“Freedom? Interesting choice of words.”

“I recently left a lucrative business, in favor of starting my own.”

“A businessman?”

“So to speak.” he sent her a heated gaze that struck low in her belly, “and what is it that you do,  _ bella _ ?”

The words she wanted to say got stuck in her throat. What she truly did… danced the line of illegality. Revealing herself not just as a mage, but an unregistered one, could possibly extinguish the flames steadily growing between them. So she opted to stay safe, until she could decide if he was worth keeping her secret. 

“I teach young children,” she paused, watching him and the softness that suddenly spread across his face, “and design clothes on the side.”

“Ah, that explains your impeccable taste,” he stated, his eyes dropping to study her figure before meeting her eyes again, his brows quirked suggestively, “a woman of many passions. Passions I would like to--” His gaze drifted to something behind her, and his entire demeanor changed. His warm, flirtatious aura sudden went cold. Darkness spread out through its once golden tendrils, and retracted from her. Her heart sank into her stomach at the unexpected shift. 

“Zevran, is everything alr--”

He cut her off, “I hate to cut our night together short, but it seems I have unfinished business I need to attend to,” he stood sharply and took a step around the table to stand aside her. She twisted in her seat and looked up at him, lips parted as if to protest but his expression silenced her. Through his glow she could make out his brows had drawn down hard, making the handsome features of his face turn harsh. His hand had barely reached his sleeve before everything went to shit. 

It all happened so fast.

The sound of glass shattering caused her flinch.. Within seconds their lovely dining table was flipped over and she was being shoved out of her seat and onto the floor behind the now makeshift barricade. Heat from flames that sprung up from her left licked at the edge of the tablecloth foot away from her. But it wasn’t until the gunshots rang out that the screaming began.

Chaos erupted around her, sending the other patrons’ auras into a kaleidoscope of frenzied disarray. The auras radiating off the people around her as they scrambled to flee the scene fluctuated with such severity it nearly washed out her vision.  A dark shadow appeared over her drowning them out for a brief moment. Zevran had poised himself over her, ducking to avoid bullets aimed directly at them. 

“ _ What in the fresh hell is going on _ ,” she cried, reflexively grabbing onto him to pull him closer and out of the line of fire.

“It appears my old business partners are unsatisfied with my resignation,” he explained, a bit breathlessly as he pulled a sleek pistol out of holster around his ankle that had been hidden by his pants. Her heart hammered in her chest at the sight of it in such close proximity. It gave off no aura, but the very nature of the object had its own distinct feeling of bitter death that was unmistakable.

He popped up above the table to fire off a few shots of his own before sliding into place beside her once more.

The screams around them became even more deafening.

“This wouldn’t have been the way I wanted you to find out, but it seems I don’t have much other choice,” he said, staring straight into her own fearful eyes, “Long story short, I’m an assassin, and it seems my old employers have taken it upon themselves to eliminate me,” he offered her a sheepish grin, “dreadful timing, am I right?”

Her mouth fell open. Here she had been worried about revealing her status as a mage, when the whole time he had an equally damning secret of his own. 

There was a thunderous crack from behind her and she was suddenly being pulled into his arms in sheltering embrace. A shower of splinters rained down on the two of them. She peered over his shoulder to find a sizable chunk of their table missing. Her mind went into panic mode,  _ had he been shot? _

“Zevran?!”

“I’m fine,  _ bella _ ” he whispered by her ear. His lips brushed against her cheek before he pulled her to her feet and darting behind the next table to their right.

Three hazy auras caught her attention behind the far wall that separated the dining area from small dance floor.

“You have three targets taking cover behind that wall,” she said, gesturing in the direction they were hiding.

He shot her a look of disbelief. “How can you see--”

“Long story short,” she recycled his words for the second time, “I’m a mage.”

His eyes lit up, “My, you are full of surprises.” And without a second’s hesitation, he fired three shots straight through the wall. Their auras slowly dimmed as their figures slumped to floor one after another.

“Come,” he extended his pistol free hand, “let’s get out of here.”

Glass from the front windows exploded causing them to stop dead in the tracks on the way towards the front doors. She pulled her hand out and raised her arm to block the shards from hitting her face. She heard Zevran let out a small hiss of pain. 

“Well Zevran, it’s time we talked,” said a male voice. 

The aura attached the man that stepped forward through the broken window was painful to be exposed to. Rage, betrayal, and guilt rolled off him in waves. 

“Taliesen,” Zevran bit out, wiping his cheek. She noted his fingers were now smeared with blood. She made to step between the two men, but Zevran held her back, “don’t. Run.”

“No way.”

Taliesen smiled and her skin crawled. “She’s cute. Too bad she’ll be collateral damage.”

“I honored my contract,” Zevran said slowly, “the Crows have no hold over me anymore.”

Eruanna blinked and had Taliesen pulled two guns and aimed on at each of them. She flinched and groped at Zevran’s shirt and realized he had raised his own as well

“She is not involved in this. Let her go free. We’ll settle this one on one.”

“You should know better than anyone, Zevran, the Crows don’t allow loose ends.”

For the first time in her life, death seemed almost tangible. She had her fair share of close calls, but nothing as intimate as this. Her lips pulled back into a snarl. Like hell she was going down without a fight. She pooled her mana and brought the image of fangs, scales, and wings to the forefront of her mind. Of fire and claws and pure might. But before she could cast her spell, a bright burst of orange light collided with Taliesen out of thin air, sending him flying. Startled and overtaken by surprise,  she released her magic with loud clap. A third man had materialized out of thin air before her. 

“Impossible,” she breathed. No one could sneak up on her, she could always feel an aura before an appearance.

“Better late than never I always say, eh Zevran?”  

Their mysterious savior flashed them a wide, alluring smile that simultaneously made her feel a conflicting range of emotions. At ease and yet on edge. Relieved and yet restless. He was tall and lean, twirling a jagged dagger between his fingers and tugged on the collar of his suit jacket.  _ Dalish _ , she noticed by the slender shape of his ears and vallaslin that was illuminated on his face.  His aura radiated a striking golden brown, with hues of orange and amber subtly flitting through through, like the color of whiskey in sunlight. As inviting as his aura was, there something...lethal...about it.

He cocked his head, focusing his attention on her. While Zevran’s gaze smoldered subtly, this man’s gaze was  _ incinerating _ .

“Dark lustrous hair, white vallaslin, and beyond beautiful, you must Eruanna,” he drawled, his mouth twisting into a half smile, “I apologize for missing our date. As you can see, I was held up.” He gestured carelessly with tip of his dagger at the litter of bodies lining the pavement through the shattered window. 

“You! You---” pent up fury from those forty minutes of torture reared up from within her, making her forget her apprehension towards him all together. She marched right up  and jabbed a finger at his chest, “You bastard.”

“Rasmir, darling,” he said, offering a slight bow, “if you’re going to reprimand me, do it proper.”

She huffed, “How did you just,  _ appear _ , like that?”

“Magic, duh.” His eyes danced with mischief.

Her vision flashed red. She took an exaggerated breath and opened her mouth to lay upon this man a string of curses but the slight tug at her elbow pulled her back to her senses.

“He’s an asshole, don’t fight with him. From experience, you’ll only make it worse,” Zevran said comfortingly from behind.

“A professional asshole, if I do say so myself.” Rasmir’s face broke into a shit eating grin. 

She decided on the spot that she hated him. 

From across the dining hall, Taliesen groaned.

“I’ll finish him off,” said Rasmir, glancing over towards the mass of the man he assaulted with a bored expression, “get her out of here Zevran.” He turned on his heel and sauntered over to Taliesen. Over his shoulder he called out cryptically, “She may find favor with Mythal.”

Whatever he meant by that was lost to Eruanna, but Zevran seemed to make sense of it. His hand slipped into hers hesitantly, as if waiting for her approval before clasping. She squeezed it. Warmth crept back into his aura in a reassuring caress in her mind. The tension she had been carrying in her shoulders seemed to lessen slightly.

They rushed through the destroyed and deserted hall as fast as they could. The faint wail of sirens was just beginning to reach their ears as they darted into the kitchen. Zevran saw the alleyway door first and pulled her towards the exit. A low rumble grew into a tremor as they approached it.

“ _ Mierda _ , he’s going to blow the--”

A forceful shockwave of energy knocked them through the metal door and into the street. 

“ _ Run! _ ”

Hand in hand they bolted away from restaurant at top speed but it still wasn’t quite fast enough. The building behind them erupted, flames poured out as falling debris crashed around them. An incinerating wave of heat consumed them. Zevran grabbed her by the waist and tucked her head into his chest as a second blast emanated from the building, sending little balls of flames and burning embers down upon them. On impulse she pooled together her mana and erected a barrier around them, shielding them from being roasted, giving them a moment to catch their breath.

“As far as first dates go, that one wasn’t too terrible, was it? Though, come to think of it, you never did formally introduce yourself.” 

She glanced up at him and couldn’t stop the smile from splitting across her face. The sight was… beautiful.  Morbidly beautiful. They had faced down the barrel of death, escaped an exploding building, and stood in a rain of blazing fire, and all she could think about was how beautiful the halo of flames framed his aura, Laughter bubbled up from her throat. 

He leaned his forehead on hers. “What? How am I supposed to ask you to try again, on a better date, if I don’t know your name?”

Perhaps it was the rush of adrenaline from the narrow escape. Maybe it was the wine boosted sense of confidence. Or it was the simple fact she wanted to feel his lips move against hers before the night was over. She cupped his cheek, being mindful of the scrape, leaned up on her toes and drew his mouth to hers. The sensation of his warm lips brushing against her own sent a different kind of fire racing through her veins. How soft and pliant they were as she kissed him, as if taken by surprise. He parted them, allowing her to deepen their kiss. She explored him thoroughly, mapping out his rhythms and indulging herself the very taste of him. He slid one hand into her hair while the other caressed her lower back, drawing her in flush to his body. Her skin burned pleasantly at the contact.

“Eruanna,” she pulled away to whisper across his mouth, “my name is Eruanna. And I would love a second date.”


End file.
